Organophosphorus compounds have numerous and varied applications, for example, in herbicides, insecticides, fertilizers, flame retardants and plasticizers and as precursors for the synthesis of other organophosphorus compounds. Cyanophosphonates and their derivatives are of particular interest due to their versatility in synthetic pathways and a wide range of chemistries can extend from both the phosphorus and cyano moieties.
A process for preparing dicyanophosphinate was described by Albrecht et al., Z. anorg. allg. Chem. 552:132-146 (1987), involving a reaction of triethylphosphite, carbon tetrachloride, trimethylammonium iodide and potassium cyanide in an acetonitrile solvent. The Albrecht process was reported to produce a complex mixture of phosphorus products, including dicyanophosphinate in a 2% yield. The products of the Albrecht process were identified by .sup.31 P NMR, with structures being determined from chemical shifts and P-H coupling constants on a 36.44 MHz NMR instrument. No purification of products of the Albrecht process was reported. Nevertheless, the inventors of the present invention have preliminary findings that indicate the Albrecht et al. process does not actually enable the production of a dicyanophosphinate product.
There exists a need for novel cyanophosphorus compounds and methods for their preparation to enable the preparation of organophosphorus materials with a variety of beneficial uses.